[3.5] Spotted Dragon species - how would YOU build one?

[ericp65]

A creature I created and introduced in a campaign many years ago became somewhat endearing and amusing, and sometimes mildly annoying (somewhat like a Kender). It was a Spotted Dragon, a dragon with black and white scales that alternated in a sort of checkerboard pattern. Some refer to it as a "salt-and-pepper dragon," but never in the presence of one. This CN creature is highly curious, lives from moment to moment by whim, and takes great delight in sampling freshly-killed exotic creatures, to find out what tastes good, as the ultimate gourmand. The only known specimen of this type of dragon in my campaign went by the name Jordan. He lives in the Forgotten Realms, but the species can exist anywhere that's hospitable to dragons on the Prime Material Plane. No one knows the origin of this species, but sages suggest a crossbreeding between a black and a white dragon. The Spotted Dragon never discusses such personal matters with non-draconic types, or simply isn't concerned.

To create this dragon type, I averaged all the data from the black and white dragons in the Monster Manual (actually, the Monstrous Compendium, the one that came in a binder in 2e, if memory serves). For a breath weapon, the Spotted Dragon breathes a cloud of black, sooty dust (save at -4 or die a choking death). I never decided what the exact nature of that dust was, but it could somehow come from the Negative Material Plane. I had all the age categories statted out, but I've long since lost my pre-3.5e notes.

So, playground people, how would you design this kind of dragon? Additional or different fluff is welcome in addition to statistical details.

[BowStreetRunner]

I like the idea of a spotted dragon that would breathe a jet of frozen crystalline acid. In actuality, boric acid at room temperature is a solid, which means it is effectively an acid that is frozen. It is also toxic, a flame retardant, a preservative, and an antiseptic. You could give the spotted dragon a breath weapon based on this - a cone of crystalline acid that does both mild acid damage (between 1d4 to 12d4, REF save for half by age category) as well as an inhaled poison (1d4 CON/1d4 CON, FORT save for half) to everyone in the area of effect. Creatures that do not possess a CON score (such as undead) instead suffer 1d4 points of permanent hit point loss from the strange corrosive effects of the acid. The breath effect puts out normal fires as well as magical fires with a CL lower than the dragon's HD. Curiously, the breath weapon also has the odd effect of allowing anyone who survives the blast to receive a new saving throw against any diseases from which they are currently suffering.

[Fyermind]

Positive-negative energy duality.

It is healed by both positive and negative energy. When it attacks with it's breath weapon, it counts itself as a target. It can deal either positive or negative energy.

It gets confusion, major image, and shadow conjuration as SLAs.

[nedz]

I've been contemplating the following trick for a while :-

Apply the Half Dragon template to a Dragon: one Metallic, one Chromatic.
I've considered doing this for all Dragons in a setting — making them all mongrels.

Because: Dragons colour coded for the players convenience is a bit old.

This would work for your Half White/Half Black Dragon — as would Half Silver/Half Black.

[unseenmage]

I've been contemplating the following trick for a while :-

Apply the Half Dragon template to a Dragon: one Metallic, one Chromatic.
I've considered doing this for all Dragons in a setting — making them all mongrels.

Because: Dragons colour coded for the players convenience is a bit old.

This would work for your Half White/Half Black Dragon — as would Half Silver/Half Black.

Very first Template from Creatures That Cannot Be II (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/eo/20070401a): The Half-Dragon Dragon. And it's even WotC approved. :smallbiggrin:

[nedz]

Very first Template from Creatures That Cannot Be II (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/eo/20070401a): The Half-Dragon Dragon. And it's even WotC approved. :smallbiggrin:

Ah, but they state that they should be rare rather then ubiquitous.:smallbiggrin:

[ericp65]

I've been contemplating the following trick for a while :-

Apply the Half Dragon template to a Dragon: one Metallic, one Chromatic.
I've considered doing this for all Dragons in a setting — making them all mongrels.

Because: Dragons colour coded for the players convenience is a bit old.

This would work for your Half White/Half Black Dragon — as would Half Silver/Half Black.

And a representative of the silver/black hybrid might be known by the name "Raider" :smallamused: